Portable fire-escape.



E; P. OLBARY.

PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPE,

APPLIOATION FILED mm 30, 1909.

969,559. Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 IIIIIliiillllllillllllllllll""" I WITNESSES l/VI/E/VTOR U Edgd/P Olearg BY W ATTORNEYS E. P. OLEARY.

PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1909.

Patented Sept. 6,-1910.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

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WITNESSES ajemeg.

BY 2 Z ATTORNEYS UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR P. OLEARY, F PUEBLO, COLORADO.

PORTABLE FIRE-ESCAPE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR P. OLEARY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Portable Fire-Escape, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The principal objects which the present invention has in view are: To provide a simple and efficient means for escaping from a burning building, said means being independently operated; to provide means of the character set forth, which are conveniently portable; and to provide a simple and efiicient construction which may be operated with safety, without necessitating practice.

One embodiment of the present invention isdisclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference inclicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device in operative. position; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in section, of the snubbing ring; Fig. 3 is a top View of the said ring; Fig. 4 is a detail view in vertical section, of the brake handle for regulating the descent of the carrier, the section being taken on the line 44 of Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the brake handle; Fig. 6 is a cross section of the brake handle, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a cross section of the handle taken on the line 7-7 in Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the carriage used in conjunction with the said brake; Fig. 9 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, taken on the line 99 in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a horizontal cross section of the carriage taken on the line 1010 in Fig. 8; and Fig. 11 is a vertical cross section of the carriage taken on the line 1111 in Fig. 9.

In the structure shown in the drawings, the completed apparatus comprises the hand brake 12, the carrier 13 and the snubbing ring 14. These members are united by short lengths of cable 15. 15, and 16, 16, and the whole apparatus is suitably threaded on the carrying cable 17, which is guided within the handle of the hand brake 12, a central perforation being provided therefor, as seen in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

The cable 17 may be gripped between brake jaws 18, 18, with which grip levers 19, 19, are provided, said levers being pivotally mounted in the upper end of the handle 12 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 30, 1909.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

Serial No. 505,200.

upon pivots 20, 20. In the preferred form, the handle 12 is constructed from wood, and the pivots 20, 20 have a bearing in a metal collar 21 with which the hand brake is provided. In the lower end of the grip levers 19, 19, are provided perforations 22, 22, to which the short lengths of cable 15, 15 are secured.

The snubbing ring 14 is provided with perforations 23, 23, and with a cross bar 24. The ring is flattened at the top and bottom, or at each extreme of the diameter, as seen at 25 in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The cable 17 is passed through the perforations 23, then threaded around the cross bar 24, and then threaded through the lower perforation 23. The snubbing ring 14 is provided with perforations 26, 26, laterally extended therethrough, which perforations are provided to receive the short cable sections 15, 15 and 16, 16.

The cable sections 16, 16 are secured at the lower end to perforated ears 27, 27 with which the body of the carrier 13 is provided. The carrier 13 engages the cable 17 by threading the same through the three longitudinal grooves 28, 29, and 30. To save the cable from abrasion, there are provided wheels 31 and 32. The former is mounted at the lower end of the carrier body, and in line with the grooves 28 and 29. The wheel 32 is located at the upper end of the carrier body, and is in line with the grooves 29 and 30.

The carrier body has hingedly mounted thereon set wings 33, 33, which are hingedly mounted at 34, 34 (see particularly Figs,

8 and 9 of the drawings).

The cable 17 is suitably provided at the upper end with a hook or snaffle, and is of sufficientlength to extend to the ground.

The cable which is adopted for use with this device is that which has the greatest strength with the smallest diameter.

As packed, the cable 17 is wound neatly to form a package distinct from the folded hand brake and the carrier. As packed, the wings 33, 33 of the carrier are folded as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings. In the operative position of the apparatus, the wings 33, 33 are extended as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

\Vith an apparatus thus constructed and arranged, the operation is as follows: Upon the need arising for the use of the fire escape, the upper end of the cable 17 is firmly secured to the building structure, while the loose end is thrown from the window. The apparatus is drawn to position so that the wings 33, 33 are in position above or at the level of the window sill. The person about to make the descent adjusts himself to the carrier by straddling the carrier body 13, and sitting upon the wing extensions 33, 33. By gripping the levers 19, 19 with one hand, pressure enough can be exerted through the jaws 18, 18 to prevent the apparatus sliding on the cable 17. lVhen the person is ready to descend, the grip upon the levers 19, 19 is partially relaxed, allowing the cable 17 to run between the jaws 18, 18. In this action the cable is retarded and rendered more deliberate through the winding on the cross bar 2st. in the snubbing ring 14;. Should, however, the drag of the snubbing ring 11 irove insufficient to slow the descent, a slight pressure applied on the levers 19, 19 will produce a braking friction upon the cable 17 suilicient to retard the same.

While I have herein shown and described the use of the snubbing ring ll, I do not wish to be limited to its use, as good results may be obtained by eliminating it from the apparatus, and connecting the cable sections 16, 16 directly to the levers 19, 19. In either event, the cable sections extending from the carrier 13 to the hand brake 12 are secured to the ends of the levers 19, 19 at the perforations 22. In this position it will be observed. that as the ends of the levers 19, 19 having the perforations 22 are slightly extended, the pull on the levers contracts the jaws 18, 1S and aids in the braking action of the hand brake 12.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A portable fire escape comprising a carrying cable, a spool-like handle perforated longitudinally to receive said cable in sliding relation thereto, a pluralit of QPPQ. sitely disposed gripping handles iaving eccentric ends and pivotally mounted in said handle to impinge upon the said cable, a

carrier body having a plurality of vertical perforations to receive in tortuous disposition the said carrying cable, a plurality of wings pivotally mounted on said carrier body and arranged to be maintained in horizontal position thereon, flexible support ing connections between said carrier body and said gripping handles, and a snubbing device connected with said supporting con nections and interposed between said gripe ping handles and said carrier body, said snubbing device arranged to receive said carrying cable in frictional relation thereto.

2. A portable fire escape, comprising a rarrying cable; a guide handle section having a central perforation to receive said able; a friction snubbing section disposed below said guide section and having a cross bar adapted to receive said cable in wrapped and sliding relation; a seat member having lateral extensions and a vertically disposed body portion being provided with a triple extension passage to steady the movement of said seat member on said cable; flexible connections between said handle section, snubbing section, and seat member; and a plurality of levers pivoted in said handle section and having cam shaped heads extended within the said central perforation said levers having extensions adapted to be engaged by the hand of the operator to be moved to cause the said cam shaped heads to grip the said cable placed in said perforation.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDGAR P. OLEARY. lVitnesses C. 'W. MGDANIEL, JOHN M. KINKEL. 

